Football: Scouting Week 7, Lake County

NORTH SUBURBAN LAKEStevenson (6-0, 3-0) at Zion-Benton (3-3, 1-2)When: 7:30 p.m., today

Last week: Stevenson def. Lake Zurich, 21-0; Zion-Benton lost to Libertyville, 48-21.

Last year's result: Stevenson won, 48-13.

Skinny: Having secured a playoff berth for the 26th season in a row last Thursday night, thanks to its second shutout of the season, Stevenson looks to keep rolling. "We are heading into Week 7 and teams should be starting to play really well," said coach Bill McNamara, whose Patriots have been playing well all season. "Zion is no exception to this process. We have seen season team growth on film and that is a big credit to their coaching staff and players. Zion always scares us athletically. They have players that can take it to the house at any moment. It is our goal to contain their skill players and play physical upfront on both sides of the ball." The Zee-Bees average 21.5 points and have scored in double figures in all but one game. They'll face a Stevenson defense that has not allowed a touchdown in games against Lakes and Lake Zurich the last two weeks. The Patriots have yielded only 64 points all season, best in the NSC. LB Rory Koenig had 8 tackles, including 4 for loss, against Lake Zurich. Columbia-bound LB Jason Vravick was in on a couple of sacks, and DB Aaron Lund had a Pick Six. "Zion likes to run the ball and QB Doug Gates (6-2, 210) is a run-and-pass threat," McNamara said. "They will take their shots downfield with their passing game as well." Z-B has been vulnerable defensively, having allowed 40 points to Lake Zurich two weeks ago and 48 to Libertyville last week. "They play man and challenge teams with blitzes," McNamara said. "We are looking forward to the different challenges Zion brings and plan to continue to make team improvements this week in all phases of our game."

- Joe Aguilar

Mundelein (0-6, 0-3) at Libertyville (4-2, 2-2)When: 7:30 p.m., today

Last week: Mundelein lost to Antioch, 35-8; Libertyville def. Zion-Benton, 48-21.

Last year's result: Libertyville won, 42-15.

Skinny: A victory on homecoming will make Libertyville playoff-eligible. Behind 6 TDs and 154 rushing yards from QB Riley Lees, the Wildcats snapped a two-game losing streak against Zion-Benton. Lees has upped his season TD total to 19, tops in Lake County. Since a Week-9 upset loss to Mundelein in 2009, which likely denied them an at-large playoff berth, the Wildcats have won the last four meetings between the two schools. Against Antioch last Thursday night, Mundelein trailed only 14-8 at halftime. Going back to last season, tough second halves have been common for the Mustangs. "We have been very physical and competitive in the first half and seem to lose steam due to giving up big plays or having offensive drives stall out," Mundelein coach George Kaider said. "Our attitude and effort remains strong, and the players and coaches fully expect us to compete hard to get our first win. We had five starters out last week and we still competed at a high level in all phases of the game. We get our best receiver and captain (Jake Buscher) back from a knee injury this week, and that has helped to expand our offense and lift our spirits. Libertyville is big and athletic. Their quarterback is very elusive and can also throw on the run well. We have to think of him as a runner, even when he drops back to pass."

Tune in: Live video streaming on High School Cube at football.dailyherald.com.

- Joe Aguilar

Lake Zurich (3-3, 2-2) at Lake Forest (4-2, 1-2)When: 7:30 p.m., today

Last week: Lake Zurich lost to Stevenson, 21-0; Lake Forest lost to Warren, 27-14.

Last year's result: Lake Zurich won, 21-10.

Skinny: Lake Zurich has not missed the state playoffs since 2001, but that stretch of 12 straight postseason berths will be in serious jeopardy if the Bears lose tonight. LZ needs to win two of its remaining three games - the Bears play at Warren (4-2) next week and at Vernon Hills (3-3) in Week 9 - to become playoff-eligible. The Bears face a Lake Forest team that spotted Warren a 20-0 lead after three quarters last Thursday night, before scoring back-to-back TDs to make it a game. A late TD by Warren sealed the Scouts' fate. Warren out-yardaged Lake Forest by only a 287-256 margin. Scouts RB Wes Janeck rushed 17 times for 89 yards and 2 TDs. Scoring points has been an issue for LZ all season, as its 102 points are second fewest in the NSC Lake (Mundelein, 83). In losing to Stevenson 21-0 last Thursday, the Bears were shut out for the first time during the regular season since Week 7 of the 2012 campaign (3-0 to Libertyville). They lost to Mt. Carmel 30-0 in last year's Class 7A state semifinals. Lake Zurich continues to play strong defense, as its 86 points allowed are second best in the NSC Lake behind Stevenson's 64. Ben Klett has 2 of the Bears' 6 interceptions in the last two weeks.

Tune in: Live video streaming on High School Cube at football.dailyherald.com.

- Joe Aguilar

NORTH SUBURBAN PRAIRIELakes (5-1, 3-0) at Round Lake (2-4, 1-2)When: 7:30 p.m., today

Last week: Lakes def. Vernon Hills, 73-13; Round Lake def. North Chicago, 31-26.

Skinny: Lakes might not be able to replicate its prolific scoring output from last week, but is still determined to keep its momentum rolling. "I'm not worried about a letdown after last week," Lakes coach Luke Mertens said. "I'm excited about this week because our first focus every season is to get six wins. That's our goal and we want to get that this week. Plus, we're facing a team in Round Lake that has everything to gain and nothing to lose in this game. That always makes a team dangerous and we're going to have to be ready for that."…Even without its top running back, Lakes was able to roll up 363 rushing yards last week. Kyle Jones and Izayah James picked up the slack for star running back Devyn Cedzidlo, who is out for about a month with a broken fibula. They rushed for 133 and 111 yards respectively. Lakes quarterback Jordan Mercure also picked up another 85 yards. And he completed 13-of-15 passes for 196 yards. "It was definitely a very good team effort last week," Mertens said. "We executed in all three phases. Our defense did a really good job and our special teams were dynamic. We scored a field goal, had multiple touchbacks and got great punt returns."…Round Lake is flying high after pulling out its second win of the season last week. It's the first time in at least three years that the Panthers have won at least two games in a season. "We definitely needed that," Round Lake coach Jordan Eder said. "We had a rough three to four weeks leading up to that. The vibe is good with us right now. Everyone is excited. We played harder as a group (against North Chicago). We made some mistakes, but we played four quarters of football and we played tough." The Panthers got some tough yards out of running back Chris Perry, who rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Meanwhile, Round Lake got a solid effort out of quarterback Ron Steadman, who has been filling in for injured starter Cole Steger. Steadman completed 8-of-14 passes for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown. "We're really lucky to have a back-up like him," Eder said of Steadman. "He's got a great arm, he can run and he plays smart." Eder says that Steger, who fractured his fibula in the second week of the season, has been cleared to play and has been practicing. The starter at quarterback for the Panthers will be a game-time decision. "We're just going to worry about us," Eder said of his strategy for Lakes. "We know they're good and the top dog in the conference. But whether people think we have a shot or not, we're not going to roll over. We're going to use our positive energy from last week."

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

Vernon Hills (3-3, 2-2) at Wauconda (3-3, 1-2)When: 7:30 p.m., today

Last week: Vernon Hills lost to Lakes, 73-13; Wauconda lost to Grant, 32-29.

Skinny: One of the biggest questions heading into this game is whether or not it can be completed in less than four hours. This one could take a while, considering how much both teams love to pass the ball. Vernon Hills has thrown up more than 40 passes in a game twice this season, with 49 attempts as its high. Wauconda isn't quite as pass-happy, but did have a 36-attempt game two weeks ago. "We're the two most pass-happy teams in the conference," Wauconda coach Dave Mills said. "It might take me back to my college days. This could be a BYU game. We'd have games at BYU where five hours later we'd just be finishing. This could be a night with a lot of offense like that." Both Wauconda and Vernon Hills are led by dangerous quarterbacks in Kevin Malisheski and Connor McNamara respectively. Last week in a loss to Grant, Malisheski completed 15-of-25 passes for 323 yards. McNamara struggled last week against Lakes (35 passing yards) but has had a 7-touchdown game this season. "It's two quarterbacks who are very similar," Mills said. "Physically, they're the same kind of kid. Both are very good passers, but can also put the ball down and run well. They also seem to have great trust from their teammates to lead them."…Vernon Hills was uncharacteristicly quiet on offense last week against Lakes. The Cougars managed just 6 first downs and 161 total yards…Meanwhile, Malisheski spread the wealth among his receivers last week. Josh Anderson caught 4 passes for 134 yards, Joey Schaer caught 4 passes for 87 yards, Parker Fink caught 4 passes for 49 yards and Jake Grobelny caught 3 passes for 53 yards. "I worry about (Malisheski)," Vernon Hills coach Bill Bellecomo said. "He is so elusive and he has the ability to extend plays by giving himself more time to find his receivers and they've got a lot of really good receivers at Wauconda. When (Malisheski) is under pressure, he's really good at eluding defenders and finding the open receiver. We really need to contain him."

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

Antioch (5-1, 3-0) at North Chicago (0-6, 0-4)When: 1:30 p.m., Saturday

Last week: Antioch def. Mundelein, 35-8; North Chicago lost to Round Lake, 31-26.

Skinny: Antioch is on a roll, and so is its defense. The Sequoits have won five straight games, and have given up only 20 points over their last two games. Overall, Antioch is allowing 15.7 points per game, second-best in the North Suburban Prairie division. "It's a really good group," Antioch coach Brian Glashagel said of his defense. "We're athletic and fast, which helps against all the teams that like to run the spread offenses now. It's a fast game now and you have to have the athletes to keep up with that defensively and we do." Senior strong safety Matt Stiglic has been a leader of the Antioch defense all season. "He's smart and he makes a lot of big plays for us," Glashagel said. The Sequoits are able to maximize their big-play potential by frequently rotating their defenders. "We really have 15 to 16 kids we like to play on defense," Glashagel said. "They're all good and they all deserve to play and the nice thing is that by rotating a lot of different guys in, we're able to keep guys fresh."…The Antioch defense will be tested by a North Chicago offense that has big-play potential. "Their quarterback (Jamero Shelton) is really good," Glashagel said. "He can run and return punts and kickoffs and he also plays cornerback for them, I think. He's everywhere. What a great athlete."…Antioch has two pretty good athletes in running backs Griffin Hill and Alan Taylor. The two of them combined for 223 rushing yards last week against Mundelein.

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

NORTH SUBURBAN CROSSOVERWarren (4-2, 3-1) at Grant (2-4, 2-2)When: 7:30 p.m., today

Last week: Warren def. Lake Forest, 27-14; Grant def. Wauconda, 32-29.

Skinny: On paper, Warren is probably the heavy favorite. But Grant is coming off a magical win last week that might have woken the entire program. Grant scored a touchdown on the final play to get a dramatic, come-from-behind victory over Wauconda. There were 3 touchdowns between the two teams over the final 44 seconds, including two by Grant. "We kept battling in a crazy game," Grant coach Vito Andriola said. "We were really proud of that." …Grant running back Jeremy Bredwood made some huge plays against Wauconda, including the game-winner on a 60-yard touchdown pass that he hauled in from quarterback Spencer Lhotka. "He out-jumped two defenders for that ball," Andriola said of Bredwood, who finished with 3 catches for 135 yards. Lhotka completed 5-of-7 passes for 148 yards. That was an unusually high number of passing yards for Grant, which is a run-oriented triple option team. Tim Hollins carried the running game against Wauconda with 127 yards on 27 carries…Warren is coming off its third-straight win. The Blue Devils were also impressive on the ground with two backs rolling up more than 100 yards. Darrius Crump finished with 141 yards on 29 carries while VaShaun Wright added 106 yards on 16 carries. "Their running backs run really hard," Andriola said of the Blue Devils. "Warren is really, really big and fast. Their offensive scheme could give us trouble. We're going to have to play a very discipline defense to stay with them and we haven't done that yet this year. It's going to be the best team we play all year."

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLICCarmel (4-2, 3-1) at Benet (4-2, 2-2)When: 7:30 p.m., today

Last week: Carmel def. St. Viator, 38-20; Benet lost to Nazareth, 28-5.

Skinny: After having one of its best offensive games in years against St. Viator last week, Carmel is about to face one of the best defenses in the East Suburban Catholic Conference. Benet has allowed only 82 points on the season, or 13.7 points per game. That's the lowest points-against average in the league. "They've got the best defense we've seen since we played Joliet Catholic," Carmel coach Andy Bitto said of Benet. The Corsairs scored 14 points in a loss to Joliet Catholic. "Benet really does a nice job of limiting plays over 10 yards. Teams have a hard time driving on them. And they're really good at (creating) turnovers. We're going to have to be really consistent on offense."…Carmel running back Rondel Jamison was the model of consistency last week. The sophomore rolled up 180 yards on 35 carries for the Corsairs. He also scored 3 touchdowns. Carmel also got a big rushing game out of senior quarterback Michael Hiuras, who finished with 122 yards and 2 touchdowns on 14 carries…Benet has lost its last two games and has struggled to put points in the board, just 20 over that span. But running back Brad Sznajder is still a big threat. He had 131 yards on 29 carries last week against Nazareth. Meanwhile, brother Jack, Benet's sophomore quarterback, completed 14-of-22 passes for 133 yards.

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

FOX VALLEY FOXWoodstock (1-5, 1-3) at Grayslake North (3-3, 2-1)When: 7:15 p.m., today

Last week: Woodstock lost to Prairie Ridge, 37-26; Grayslake North lost to Crystal Lake Central, 37-34.

Last year's result: Grayslake North won, 42-14.

Skinny: So what will Titus Booker do this week? The Indiana-bound running back has been on an incredible run, so to speak, the last three weeks for Grayslake North. He's had games of 329 rushing yards and 5 TDs (vs. Normal Community West), 360 yards and 5 TDs (vs. Prairie Ridge) and 285 yards and 4 TDs (vs. Crystal Lake Central). That's 974 rushing yards (12.6 per carry) and 14 TDs in three games. Booker has busted off 9 TDs ranging between 22-80 yards. The Knights won the first two of those games, before dropping a 3-point, lightning-delayed game on the road last Thursday night. At 3-3, Grayslake North finds itself basically in must-win mode the rest of the season. Fortunately for the Knights, they close the regular season with three winnable contests: home tonight against 1-5 Woodstock, at 0-6 Grayslake Central next Friday and at 3-3 Woodstock North in Week 9. At 2-1 in the FVC Fox, the Knights stand in third place behind Woodstock North (3-0) and Prairie Ridge (3-1). While the Grayslake North offense has piled up 131 points the last three weeks, the defense continues to give up too many. The Knights have allowed 107 points the last three weeks and 217 on the season, second most in the division (Grayslake Central, 223).

- Joe Aguilar

Grayslake Central (0-6, 0-3) at Woodstock North (3-3, 3-0)When: 7:15 p.m., today

Last week: Grayslake Central lost to Danville, 17-16 in OT; Woodstock North def. Hampshire, 21-9.

Last year's result: Grayslake Central won, 28-12.

Skinny: Grayslake Central's rough season continued last Saturday, as the Rams dropped their homecoming game in overtime to a Danville squad that also entered the game without a win. Mikey Andrews rushed for 117 yards and 2 TDs in the loss. "Last week was pretty tough, but the kids have seemed to bounce back pretty well," Rams coach Jason Schaal said. "This group has, week in and week out, been very resilient and that is one trait that they should be proud of. Physical mistakes are part of the game, and they are going to happen. We will have to work that much harder to prevent them from happening this week." The Rams hit the road tonight to face a Woodstock North squad that keeps the ball on the ground with its option offense. In a division featuring high-powered Crystal Lake Central, Prairie Ridge and Grayslake North, it's the surprising Thunder, which was 1-8 last season, that sits in first place in the FVC Fox at 3-0. Woodstock North has won its last two, including a 48-27 victory over Crystal Lake Central two weeks ago. "Woodstock North has been playing very good football this fall and has some very impressive wins," Schaal said. "For us to be successful, we are going to have to be more disciplined than we have been to defend their option offense. Offensively, I feel as if each week we have improved and I am looking forward to that continuing. Both Cam Schwartz and Mikey Andrews have been doing a great job running the ball for us, and Anthony Fitzgerald has done very well as a replacement (at quarterback) for Luke (Shepherd)." Shepherd has been sidelined with a concussion. Schaal said Thursday he is uncertain whether Shepherd will play tonight.

- Joe Aguilar